Timetable

Postgraduate Diploma 04/01/10 - 08/04/11

Master of Arts 11/04/11 - 29/07/11

Third step in Objective-C

Programming control elements e.g. button, switch, segment control, slider, progressbar:

Link two pages: 

Second steps in Objective-C

Programming a text field:

Programming a picker:

First steps in Objective-C

"Hallo Debugger" and some variables in the debugger view:

Small application:

Gestures

According to the “iPad Human Interface Guidelines” multifinger gestures are desirable for the interaction with the iPad. Some gestures are already selected by Apple for zooming, scrolling or to edit text (see post “Interaction with multi touchscreen and motion sensor“). The users have to learn these gestures. How is the situation, when somebody designs new gestures? What does the person have to keep in mind?
A German usability agency named “User Interface Design GmbH” conducted together with 11 other usability agencies around the world a study with the title “Mulit touch products: cultural differences and similarities of gestures”. One outcome was that the users use symbols to activate functions for example: help, save, to confirm, delete and print.

Help – “?”, save and confirm – “check mark”, delete – “X” and print “P” (User Interface Design 2009, p.25).

Prototype to conduct the study (User Interface Design, p.14):

I think the fact that people use symbol gestures to activate a function is really interesting and, what could this mean?

For me it could mean that users could learn intuitive new symbol gestures to activate functions. For example they could learn to use “C” to copy or a smile for fun in a chat situation. Maybe it is also possible to make two demission gestures and trace them by a camera like the example of imaginary interface from the Hasso Plattner Institut. The main idea is that a camera trace gestures in an imaginary interface. See imaginary interface from Hasso Plattner Institut: http://www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/baudisch/projects/imaginary_interfaces.html (see Baudisch 2010):

When it would be possible that a user can communicate with a device by using two dimensional symbolic gestures maybe he could use a form of sign language (Manataka American Indian Council 2010):

Baudisch, P., 2010: Imaginary Interfaces. Hasso Plattner Institut (online). Available at: http://www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/baudisch/projects/imaginary_interfaces.html [Accessed 23 November 2010].
Manataka American Indian Council, 2010: French and German Equivalents are shown with each Illustration. Manataka (online) http://www.manataka.org/page319.html [Accessed 23 November 2010]
Hansson, T. 2009: Multi-Touch-Produkte: Kulturelle Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten bei der Nutzung von Gesten. User Interface Design. Available at: http://worldusabilityday.de/groups/mannheim/Multi-Touch_Produkte.pdf [Accessed 23 November 2010].

iPad - What are the differences to the iPhone?

In general is the iPad the big brother of the iPhone? Mostly all of the elements are similar and the main difference is the size. The iPad is approximately eight times larger than the iPhone, because of this there is more space to make multifinger gestures and to design it in a realistic way. These two points are also encouraged by the “iPad Human Interface Guidelines”:

“When it makes sense, support multifinger gestures, especially when you can integrate them with custom controls......Avoid providing a UI element or defining a rotation gesture that rotates your content. Instead, people should be able to rotate your content by rotating the device......The large iPad screen provides great scope for custom multifinger gestures, including gestures made by more than one person.” (Apple 2010, p.25-26)

Two people interact with the iPad (Inside Social Games 2010):

“Give people more ways to interact with the content. For example, it might make sense to allow people to manipulate a graph in real time, see a simulation of data, or customize details of the content they see.” (Apple 2010, p.12)

Example of zooming in x- and y-axis (designaffairs 2009):

“Whenever possible, add a realistic, physical dimension to your application. Contacts depicts a realistic address book that behaves as people expect.” (Apple 2010, p.23)

Realistic address book (Apple 2010, p.23):

Apple, 2010. iPad Human Interface Guidelines. Apple (online). Available at: http://www.hung-truong.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/iPadHIG.pdf [Accessed 20 November 2010].
designaffairs, 2009: DATEV INTERACT. Available at: http://www.designaffairs.com/datev-interact/ [Accessed 20 November 2010].
Inside Social Games, 2010: Koduco Tries to Create a New Social Paradigm on the iPad. Inside Social Games (online). Available at : http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://www.insidesocialgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/pongvaders2.png&imgrefurl=http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2010/09/02/koduco-tries-to-create-a-new-social-paradigm-on-the-ipad/&usg=__vxQjItsyAYPitZdn3a2zIBwoQvs=&h=404&w=368&sz=430&hl=de&start=145&sig2=TumqNQVoNJI22Xns18uuww&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=hekJvB1G2LpIqM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmultitouch%2Btow%2Bperson%2Bipad%2Bplay%26start%3D140%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dde%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=jnHpTKveM4iShAeLn6QP [Accessed 20 November 2010].

iPad - Interaction Design Pattern

The differences between Mail on iPhone and Mail on iPad reflect the different user experiences of each device. Mail on iPhone is designed to help mobile users handle their email while they’re standing in line or walking to a meeting. Mail on iPad is efficient enough for people to use on the go, but it also encourages more in-depth usage.

Mail on iPhone presents streamlined email functionality in a series of screens:

Mail on iPad works well in all orientations (landscape shown):

Flatten hierarchy by at least one level:

Mail uses a navigation bar in the left or right pane:

Organize your content in


Split view: A split view is a full-screen view that consists in two side-by-side panes.

Popover:A popover is a transient view that can be revealed when people tap a control or an onscreen area.

Action sheet: An action sheet displays a set of choices related to a task the user initiates.An action sheet is displayed inside a popover.

Modal view: A modal view (that is, a view presented modally) provides self-contained functionality in the context of the current task or workflow.

iTunes uses a segmented control to provide perspectives on the content:

iTunes uses a tab bar to provide categories of content:

(see Apple 2010, p.7-52)

Apple, 2010. iPad Human Interface Guidelines. Apple (online). Available at: http://www.hung-truong.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/iPadHIG.pdf [Accessed 18 November 2010].